In wiper apparatuses limiting the necessary pivoting motion lateral to the wiping direction in a particular installation position when the wiper blade is lifted up from the window along with the wiper arm, should prevent the wiper blade from movingxe2x80x94due to improper handlingxe2x80x94around the pivot axis until its bearing pins automatically travel through the opening of the bearing recesses. As a result of this, the wiper blade can unintentionally come loose from the wiper arm, fall off, and damage the finish of the vehicle, for example.
The invention is based on a wiper apparatus. In a known wiper apparatus (DE 19 053 52 A1) that is, however, embodied differently with regard to the pivoting support, the free end of the wiper arm is inserted between the spaced-apart side walls of a support frame associated with the wiper blade, in which button-like support projections pointing toward one another protrude from the inside walls that are oriented toward each other; after installation of the wiper blade on the wiper arm, these support projections can be moved in oblong holes which are provided in guide walls of the wiper arm and whose length limits the pivoting motion. In order to realize the limiting means, the solution to the problem explained at the beginning consequently requires particular design features both in the wiper blade (support frame side walls) and in the wiper arm (placement between the side walls).
In the wiper apparatus according to the invention, the embodiment of the wipe blade and wiper arm is irrelevant because the placement of the wiper blade and wiper arm next to each other permits an optically inconspicuous, inexpensively designed placement of the stops and counterpart stops on the two parts of the apparatus.
In a practical manner, the stops are disposed on the wiper arm and the counterpart stops are disposed on the wiper blade.
A particularly simple design of the wiper apparatus according to the invention is produced if two tabs are disposed on the wiper arm, which extend toward the wiper blade, constitute stops, and extend in the pivoting plane of the wiper blade at a distance from the window and if in addition, the distance between the tab surfaces oriented toward each other is greater than the distance between the counterpart stops of the wiper blade, which are disposed on the wiper blade, between the tabs.
Another simplification of the wiping process is achieved if the wiper blade is provided with a band-like, elongated, spring elastic support element, which is spaced apart from the window to be wiped and is provided for a rubber elastic wiper strip that can be placed against the window; the support element extends with a projection beyond the width of the wiper strip, between the surfaces of the tabs that are oriented toward each other and lastly, if the counterpart stops of the wiper blade are embodied on the projection.
A particularly inexpensive, easy-to-assemble possibility for the tab placement is produced if these two tabs are constituted by extensions of the arms of a clamp with a U-shaped cross section, which encompasses the wiper arm and is fastened to it.
In order to prevent the clamp from moving in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm, it is advantageous if it has a securing shoulder pointing in the longitudinal direction of the wiper arm, which shoulder cooperates with a counterpart shoulder of the wiper arm that is oriented toward it.
If the clamp is made of an elastic plastic, this permits the clamp to be mounted on the wiper arm in a simple way.
Other advantageous improvements and embodiments of the invention will be disclosed in the following description of an exemplary embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.